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Grimlox
Grimlox, also known as the Nightmare Knave, is a deviously impish figure from Matoran mythology, recognised in most tales as a mischievous trickster who picks on the innocent for his own delight. Biography Origins Despite being a prominent figure in Matoran mythology, few of the stories surrounding him provide a consistent account of his origins. According to one, Grimlox was the product of Karzahni's jealousy of Artakha. In this tale, Karzahni created Grimlox shortly after Artakha created the Crystal Serpents so as to prove to his brother that he too could create life. However, his creature proved to be unpleasant and beyond his control, and Grimlox promptly set about stirring up trouble within Karzahni's kingdom. Karzahni tried to catch him, only to be caught up in an elaborate prank that resulted in Karzahni being dangled down one of the island's dust waterfalls by one of his own flaming chains. Concluding that he was more trouble than it was worth, Karzahni instead banished him. It is said that Karzahni cursed him when he exiled him, resulting in Grimlox becoming a phantom-like creature who could become intangible. In another story, Grimlox was a ghoul from the Southern Islands, specifically originating from a strange land characterised by its rugged, desolate and mystic qualities. In this account, it is said he was granted life by Mata Nui himself, who created him as an early trouble-maker for the Toa to rally against. However, against what Mata Nui had planned, Grimlox developed independent thinking and thus devoted himself to spreading wickedness and chaos throughout the Great Spirit's domain. A third account suggests that Grimlox existed as far back as the time of Tren Krom. In this story, Grimlox was initially a prankster who played tricks on the early Matoran laborers, hiding their tools and marring their work to the point where Tren Krom intervened. Tren Krom engineered one of Grimlox's own pranks to backfire against him to humiliate him, before banishing him into the shadowy cesspools of the world. Bitter and furious, Grimlox rallied the similarly abhorred Zyglak behind him in a bid to wrestle the universe away from the Matoran, only to be again defeated by Tren Krom. Tren Krom punished Grimlox more severely this time, using his power to turn Grimlox into a ugly, hunched, wraith-like creature who could barely leave a footprint on the skin of the world. From here on, his impact on the material world was fleeting and insubstantial. During the early years of Turaga Dume's rule, Onu-Metru's Chief Archivist Dessal and one of Ga-Metru's most acclaimed academics collaborated together to write a thesis entitled The Myth of the Nightmare Knave: A Redemptive Reading. This interpretation posited that Grimlox was not, in fact, the nightmarish figure he was popularly made out to be, but rather an outsider demonized by shallow Matoran for his frightening appearance. Though highly controversial amongst historians and scholars, the thesis was quite popular, and within two years of its publication had widely circulated the northern end of universe. By the time of the Toa Metru, its credibility was still debated in Ga-Matoran schools. Subsequent Stories His murky origins aside, Grimlox has appeared in countless stories all over the universe, where his personality, appearance, powers and motives are all depicted with far greater consistency. After a lifetime of trickery, one story suggests that Grimlox eventually settled on the Southern Continent, where he would prey on Matoran traders travelling along the older trade routes. It is in this story that Grimlox's ability to shapeshift into Turaga appears, which he would use to trick Matoran into letting him travel with them. The story also depicts Grimlox's second form as a leafless, gnarled tree, which Grimlox could assume to disguise himself among the shrubbery. On Metru Nui, Grimlox was a popular character in stories around the time of Naming Day. It was said that with all productive and good-hearted Matoran, Grimlox would sneak into their houses and devise elaborate, mean-spirited pranks to punish them for their goodness. Despite being a character existing largely in Matoran mythology, Grimlox has even appeared in a handful of Skakdi tales. In a particularly notable story, Grimlox attempted to trick Irnakk into poisoning Zakaz's only fresh water lake. However, the ruse failed, and Grimlox was then trapped inside Irnakk's mind for a century after being struck by Irnakk's eyebeams. Terrified by the prospect of becoming a forgotten thought (which would kill him), Grimlox spent the next 100 years doing everything in his power to remain even on the periphery of Irnakk's thoughts. Irnakk eventually grew weary of Grimlox, and thus released him. Returned to the physical world, Grimlox was said to be madder and far more dangerous than ever. Aside from that story, Grimlox has also appeared in other stories interacting with other figures from Matoran mythology. In one such tale, angered by the Matoran's ability to flourish in any environment, Grimlox sought to render an entire region of the Northern Continent uninhabitable to Matoran. Although he succeeded in perverting the natural landscape of the area that would become the Tren Krom Peninsula, Grimlox himself was banished from the land by the legendary Ramonda, who hauled him into one of the Acid Falls that he himself had created. In another legend, Grimlox attempted to play on the rivalry of Araluus and Marinuu and successfully goaded them into a fierce battle in the hopes that they would destroy each other. Through their deaths, Grimlox hoped to spread dread to Matoran everywhere, given that both figures were revered in Matoran mythology as figures of justice. However, as they battled, the two quickly realised Grimlox's trickery, and instead banded against him. What happened next is unclear, but it is said that Araluus set his companion Nysha on him, who hounded Grimlox across both Matoran continents before chasing him into a nest of Nui-Jaga. Curiously, another legend says that the warlike race that Jekart is a member of was originally descendant from Grimlox. As with other such entities, whether Grimlox actually existed is a matter of debate amongst modern scholars. Abilities and Traits In all accounts, Grimlox is, much like the Zyglak, an intensely bitter and resentful character driven to spread misery wherever he can. However, unlike the Zyglak, Grimlox's way of doing this often took form in cruel, humiliating, almost petulant pranks. As such, despite being capable of killing, Grimlox was never a true threat to anybody due to his need for his victims to live with their humiliation. Although a misanthropic loner at heart, Grimlox could nonetheless still be quite charming and witty when he felt the need to be so, though often this was merely a facade to win others over before humiliating them. Grimlox has demonstrated powerful psionic capabilities, the full limits of which are not known. He has demonstrated the ability to project illusions telepathically across great distances as well as potent hypnotic capabilities. Grimlox also appears to be able to control his density, allowing him to disappear at will as an intangible wraith-like mist. This power appears in all stories surrounding Grimlox and is believed to have been the key to a number of his sinister tricks. Many stories suggest Grimlox also has a very limited shapeshifting ability, and it has been implied he is capable of shifting into two alternate forms. One form is that of a Turaga of The Green, which he uses to infiltrate Matoran villages or travel along their main trade roads without attracting attention. His other form is said to be that of a large, gnarled tree, with half his face exposed in the trunk. This form is used to conceal himself among other vegetation. Some postulate that Grimlox's creator bestowed this ability upon him as joke, fully aware of its ridiculously impractical nature. Mask and Tools Grimlox does not utilise any known weapons. The overwhelming majority of accounts indicate that Grimlox never wore a Kanohi. Trivia *The premise of the character was inspired by Krampus, a half-goat, half-demon creature from Eastern European folkfore who punishes misbehaving children during the Christmas season. Appearances *''Judgment Day: Prequel'' - To Be Written Category:Myths Category:Neutral